Bridge2Aid provide emergency dental training in East Africa and are a well known part of the UK dental community and were asked to contribute their expertise to the production of the document.
Millions of people in Africa are exposed daily to oral diseases, and seek ways of relieving the pain or discomfort that impedes their ability to speak, eat or participate in everyday activities. In many cases, relief can take the form of effective and inexpensive essential interventions that can prevent pain and life threatening complications. The WHO publication provides clear and practical guidance to health workers, communities and policymakers on how to prevent and control these diseases.
The manual will be launched with a ceremony on May 4, 2016, in Niamey, Niger, in the presence of Moutari Kalla, minister of public health in Niger, Alimata J. Diarra Nama, representing the WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, and Assimawe Pana, the representative of the WHO country office, Niger. Some 100 guests are expected to attend the ceremony, including chief dental officers in the ministries of health of 10 west and central African countries, to highlight the continental scope of this new publication.
The electronic version of the manual in French and English is now available on request. Information on its content will remain under strict embargo until May 4, 2016, at 08:00, Brazzaville and Niamey time. Thereafter, it will be posted and accessible on the WHO/AFRO web site http://www.afro.who.int/en/publications.html
Since 2004, Bridge2Aid has provided access to safe emergency dental treatment for over four million people in Tanzania. They have done this by training rural health workers with the help of volunteers from the UK’s dental community. This sustainable training model passes skills into local hands to provide long term lasting change. More information on the work of Bridge2Aid is available at their website www.bridge2aid.org